How technology solves long lines at the mall to see Santa

Tis’ the holiday season once again, which means traffic, screaming relatives, chaos, and yup – long lines at the mall. If you have children, then you know what it’s like. You wait for 2 hours in a line while your kid wants to go do something else or get some food, or go shopping. But at the same time, your kid wants tell Santa what he or she wants for Christmas. This can be a huge waste of time, where you could have been doing your holiday shopping.

Some malls are allowing parents to leave their phone number behind so that they can be texted or called when it’s their turn to see Santa. It’s a great tactic, because then the parents can spend money in the mall while waiting for that call. Malls have seen an uptick in mall purchases by implementing such systems, and even a 40% increase in online reservations to see Santa.

“When you have to stand in line with you child who is hyper and grumpy, it makes the overall experience not as much fun as it’s supposed to be,” said Michael Watkins, a parent who made an online reservation for this upcoming Christmas season at his local mall.

Long lines to see Santa have been proven to be a psychological tactic to attract more customers.

The last time you were walking down a busy city street and noticed a group of people watching something, what did you do? More than likely you stopped to see what all the fuss was about. This same phenomenon, or group effect, is how Santa gets long lines. Parents and kids are waiting in line, and of course other kids see this and want to be in line to see Santa too. Luckily, in some malls there are playgrounds where the kids can play while the parents wait in the long lines.

The question is, what other technologies can help parents and kids still get their Santa fix without waiting in long lines?

There are startups and companies developing AI (Artificial Intelligence) to help figure out what presents children will want. With over 79% of parents making an online purchase in recent years, it’s obvious that companies want to give them the best shopping experience possible. Parents even use monitoring system to tell when their kids are asleep or awake. But how can parents give their children the Santa experience without having to wait 2 hours in line, and without having to shop in malls for 2 hours while waiting for a text or phone call?

What do you think can be done to avoid waiting in long lines to see Santa? How can your children get their Santa fix this holiday season? We would love to hear your ideas in our comments. Enjoy the holidays!